Israel lobby silent on Syria

As President Barack Obama moves closer to calling for military action against Syria, a powerful ally that could help him win over skeptics is staying quiet.

The Israel lobby, including the high-profile American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other Jewish groups, isn’t pushing for intervention even as evidence emerged this week that the Assad regime used chemical weapons against its citizens.

Text Size

Syria poses first big test for second-term team

Scenes from Syria

The silence could be a problem for Obama, since the Jewish groups are connected across the political spectrum, wielding influence from the far right to liberal Democrats on issues critical to the Middle East — especially when it comes to the use of military force.

And while Obama has been willing to strike a foreign country without Congress’s approval — as he did in Libya — this time he not only faces a reluctant Congress, but a vocal chorus of Republican and Democratic lawmakers publicly advocating against entanglement.

“Everyone is in a wait-and-see mode about where this is all leading,” former Israeli Deputy Ambassador to the United States Dan Arbel told POLITICO. “The fact is, right now, the picture is not so clear.”

That has led groups to move slowly.

“I think that’s why you see organizations like AIPAC and others being more low-profile and cautious,” Arbel said.

Behind the scenes, several veteran pro-Israel lobbyists also said they don’t want a repeat of the Iraq War, when the vast majority of groups and Jewish leaders supported taking out Saddam Hussein. Afterward, many felt they were left with the blame when the war became deeply unpopular with the American public.

“They don’t want this to be seen as a Jewish or an Israel war,” said one veteran pro-Israel activist. “This is not a clear-cut North versus South civil war where you know you want the North to win. There are some real issues with the rebels here and they aren’t sure what would be better. Syria under [President Bashar] Assad, the border has been fairly quiet.”

“Israel is also cautious about this,” Arbel said. “Realizing that Israel itself cannot intervene. I think the Jewish organizations are looking at also the Israeli position.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, “This situation cannot continue,” but he has not prescribed what action should be taken, according to news reports.

Israel’s position is further complicated by this being the first major crisis since Ron Dermer took the reins as ambassador to the United States.

The outside groups’ quiet posture comes despite many Jewish leaders moving gradually to support the rebels in Syria over the past year. Part of the delay was due largely to the general stability in the region under Assad and worry over the outcome of Egypt’s uprising, according to foreign policy experts.

While AIPAC declined to comment, the group has laid out a set of three “talking points” on its website calling, on the country to stop committing human rights abuses, noting that Syria supports terrorism and that it must open up its nuclear program.

There are multiple reasons AIPAC might not feel the need to take a more public posture — it appears the Obama administration is going to move in the direction they would like and they are also looking to Israel for leadership.

The decision not to get out front on Syria doesn’t come as a surprise to all. AIPAC opted against weighing in earlier this year after critics of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel accused him of being anti-Israel and tried to scuttle his nomination.

Still, AIPAC regularly engages its lobbying presence in Middle East politics. This spring, the group had its more than 13,000 members fan out across Capitol Hill. Atop its agenda: Press lawmakers to support a bill that would broaden sanctions beyond Iran’s energy and financial transactions. The members also urged lawmakers to find a way for the sequester to not impact the $3.1 billion in U.S. aid to Israel.

AIPAC also has gotten involved in lobbying for the U.S. to continue providing Egypt aid. The group sent a letter to top members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July, opposing an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would have cut off aide to the country until it held free and fair elections.

Meanwhile, other Jewish groups like J Street, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and the American Jewish Committee have also not begun a Capitol Hill offensive.

The AJC’s director of government and international affairs, Jason Isaacson, said he hasn’t seen any evidence of a significant Jewish organization making a play on Capitol Hill.

“We have not adopted an advocacy posture on this on Capitol Hill. We certainly talk to folks about the situation in the Middle East when asked, but haven’t approached the Hill on the matter,” Isaacson said, noting that AJC will continue to monitor the situation closely.

AJC did put out a policy position that the Obama administration needs to take action following Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement on chemical weapons being used in Syria.

“There is now clear evidence that the Syrian regime has used such weapons to kill and maim, and not for the first time,” the policy states. “To ignore violation of a ‘red line’ it has established would undermine U.S. credibility not only in Damascus, but also in Tehran, Syria’s essential ally.”

J Street declined to comment.

Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs Executive Director Michael Makovsky said he believes the U.S. should act — though the group’s primary focus is preventing a nuclear Iran.

“President Obama said that Assad needs to go and we need to do what we can to contribute to his downfall,” Makovsky said, noting that JINSA looks at the issue as about the impact on Iran. “That is, I think, the larger issue here in the Middle East.”

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this article, the AJC quote above contained an incorrect word.